![[Staging] Willie Duggan](https://staging.willieduggan.com/content/uploads/2017/10/logo.svg){kind=logo}
We’re delighted to share that Willie will be taking the stage at IALD Enlighten Americas in Austin, Texas this October, and he won’t be doing it alone.
Willie is joining Dr. Martin Moore-Ede, the Harvard Medical School scientist who led the team that first located the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the biological clock in the human brain that governs when we sleep and wake, for a featured session titled “Light is Biological: A Medical Scientist and Lighting Designer Reframe Lighting Practice.”
It’s a rare pairing. A working lighting designer and a leading circadian scientist, sharing a stage to make the same point from two different directions: light isn’t just something we see. It’s something our bodies respond to, every hour of every day.
Why this talk matters
For over 40 years, Dr. Moore-Ede has studied how light regulates our internal clocks, and what happens when we get the wrong light at the wrong time. His research identified the specific wavelengths our bodies need during the day and the ones that disrupt sleep, mood, and long-term health when they show up after dark. It’s the science behind a conversation the lighting industry is only now catching up to.
That’s exactly where Willie comes in. As a lighting designer working on real homes and real buildings, he’s spent years translating this kind of research into practical, beautiful lighting design. This talk brings the two perspectives together. The medical evidence for why light matters, and the design know-how for what to actually do about it.
The details
Session: Light is Biological: A Medical Scientist and Lighting Designer Reframe Lighting Practice Speakers: Willie Duggan and Dr. Martin Moore-Ede Event: IALD Enlighten Americas 2026, Austin, TX Date: October 17 Time: 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Why it matters to us
We’ve always believed lighting design should do more than look good. Done well, it should support how people actually feel and function, whether that’s a family settling in for the evening or a team staying sharp through a workday. Willie sharing a stage with one of the world’s leading circadian scientists is a real validation of that approach, and we couldn’t be prouder to see it happen on an international platform.
If you’re in Austin this October, come find us. And if you’d like to bring some of this thinking into your own home or project, get in touch, or explore our online residential lighting design course to start learning the fundamentals yourself.
